6 Steps To A Social Media Marketing Plan That Works

Creating a social media marketing plan for your business is not always easy. You may be wondering exactly what to include to ensure your campaign is a success. This can often seem overwhelming, especially if you’re starting out from scratch!

By taking the time to research the elements a successful social media marketing plan should include, you’ll be ensuring your campaign is set up efficiently and ready to grab the attention of potential consumers.

A social media marketing plan is simply a summary of the ways you plan on promoting your business or content online using social networks. It includes:

The sites you intend on using

An audit of your current situation

The tools you’ll use to improve your strategy

A selection of goals you’d like to accomplish

Developing your social media marketing plan doesn’t have to be difficult. Read on to discover the necessary six steps that’ll get you started.

Determine your social media goals

Many businesses choose to use the SMART technique when determining their goals. The idea dictates that your goals should be:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-Bound

Begin by taking note of three social media based goals you’d like to accomplish. Evaluate how your campaign could be different if these goals were achieved and develop a way to track your progress.

Run a social media audit

You may already be using social media to promote your brand. If so, now is the time to evaluate the ways in which it’s currently working for you.

Use analytical tools or put in the legwork yourself to find out:

Your target audience

How frequently users engage with your content

The content users respond to the most

This will help you understand what you need to change or add to your strategy.

Put effort into your online presence

It’s no good having social media profiles if you don’t use them! Follows and mentions just won’t generate themselves.

Focus on broadening your reach, getting in touch with your audience and posting content you know your fans or followers want to see. By doing so, you’ll develop an online authority as someone who can be trusted within your industry.

Take inspiration from your industry

No matter what industry your business falls into, it’s probable you have individuals or companies you look up to. Follow them on social networks and take note of how they’re using the platform to represent themselves.

Check out their content, see how frequently they interact with users and try to subtly emulate their style while adding a touch of your own personality. While you don’t want to copy, taking influence from those who are successful is a great base point.

Develop a content calendar

Once you’ve done your research, you may find yourself full of new content ideas. That’s great, but don’t fall into the trap of posting them all at once and running out of things to talk about.